Tulsa City-County Library - Rainbow Rowellhttp://www.tulsalibrary.org/tags/rainbow-rowell
enHappy Books by Cindy Hulseyhttp://www.tulsalibrary.org/blog/happy-books-cindy-hulsey
<div class="field field-name-field-news-image field-type-image field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><img typeof="foaf:Image" src="http://www.tulsalibrary.org/sites/default/files/styles/medium/public/images/blogs/chulsey/Cindy_2.JPG?itok=GmiJlu03" width="186" height="220" alt="" /></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" property="content:encoded"> <p>I’ve been thinking about the concept of happiness quite a bit lately. Maybe it’s because I’m growing older and wondering what it’s all about, or because I lost my father-in-law this year, or because the world becomes more complex and demanding by the minute. The good news is that science has revealed that we can actually change our brains, making happiness attainable. Two good books about how our brains adapt are <a href="http://tccl.bibliocommons.com/item/show/2470133063_the_shallows" title=" The Shallows">The Shallows: What the Internet Is Doing to Our Brains </a>by Nicholas Carr, which is pretty scary, and <a href="http://tccl.bibliocommons.com/search?t=smart&amp;search_category=keyword&amp;q=happiness+advantage+achor&amp;commit=Search&amp;searchOpt=catalogue" title=" The Happiness Advantage">The Happiness Advantage </a>by Shawn Achor, which is truly hopeful. The bad news is that when I was looking over the list of books I’ve read, it took forever to find any happy books among them!</p>
<p>As human beings we seem to spend a great deal of time examining all of the things that make us unhappy. We grouse to our spouses and friends about our jobs; we blame our parents for all of our shortcomings; we focus on the negative until we are filled with anger and spite. And as it goes in our real lives, so it goes in literature. Apparently no one (including me) wants to read about happy people. They’re boring. As Tolstoy said, “All happy families are alike; each unhappy family is unhappy in its own way.”</p>
<p>However, in my quest to identify some happy books, I offer up the following:</p>
<p><a href="http://tccl.bibliocommons.com/search?t=smart&amp;search_category=keyword&amp;q=i+capture+the+castle+smith&amp;commit=Search&amp;searchOpt=catalogue" title=" I Capture the Castle">I Capture the Castle </a>by Dodie Smith, a delightful escape into the English countryside, where young Cassandra Mortmain journals about her eccentric family.</p>
<p><a href="http://tccl.bibliocommons.com/search?t=smart&amp;search_category=keyword&amp;q=room+with+a+view+forster&amp;commit=Search&amp;searchOpt=catalogue" title=" A Room with a View">A Room with a View </a>by E.M. Forster, an Edwardian comedy of manners in which love and passion for life triumph over convention.</p>
<p><a href="http://tccl.bibliocommons.com/search?t=smart&amp;search_category=keyword&amp;q=attachments+rowell&amp;commit=Search&amp;searchOpt=catalogue" title=" Attachments">Attachments </a>by Rainbow Rowell, a sweet, yet completely believable contemporary love story told through office emails.</p>
<p><a href="http://tccl.bibliocommons.com/search?t=smart&amp;search_category=keyword&amp;q=life+and+times+of+the+thunderbolt+kid+bryson&amp;commit=Search&amp;searchOpt=catalogue" title=" The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid">The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid </a>by Bill Bryson, a memoir about growing up in the 50s that is both a brief overview of the dichotomous history of the time and laugh-out-loud funny.</p>
<p><a href="http://tccl.bibliocommons.com/search?t=smart&amp;search_category=keyword&amp;q=family+man+lipman&amp;commit=Search&amp;searchOpt=catalogue" title=" The Family Man">The Family Man </a>by Elinor Lipman, which proves that loving modern families come in all varieties.</p>
<p>Anything by <a href="http://tccl.bibliocommons.com/search?t=author&amp;search_category=author&amp;q=alexander+mccall+smith&amp;commit=Search&amp;searchOpt=catalogue" title=" Alexander McCall Smith">Alexander McCall Smith</a>, who may be the happiest, most delightful man on the planet.</p>
<p>My mother, who is 82 and an avid reader, told me recently that at this stage in her life she wants to read books with happy endings. She said she’s had enough strife in her life; she’d rather be comforted now. Sounds pretty good to me. </p>
<p>
</p>
</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-tags field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-inline clearfix"><div class="field-label">Tags:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/tags/happy-endings" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">happy endings</a></div><div class="field-item odd"><a href="/tags/nocholas-carr" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Nocholas Carr</a></div><div class="field-item even"><a href="/tags/shwn-achor" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Shwn Achor</a></div><div class="field-item odd"><a href="/tags/dodie-goodman" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Dodie Goodman</a></div><div class="field-item even"><a href="/tags/em-forster" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">E.M. Forster</a></div><div class="field-item odd"><a href="/tags/rainbow-rowell" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Rainbow Rowell</a></div><div class="field-item even"><a href="/tags/bill-bryson" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Bill Bryson</a></div><div class="field-item odd"><a href="/tags/elinor-lipman" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Elinor Lipman</a></div><div class="field-item even"><a href="/tags/alexander-mccall-smith" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Alexander McCall Smith</a></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-blog-category field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/blog/reading-addict" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Reading Addict</a></div></div></div>Tue, 28 Jan 2014 17:16:12 +0000Cindy8477 at http://www.tulsalibrary.orghttp://www.tulsalibrary.org/blog/happy-books-cindy-hulsey#commentsEmbracing Eccentricities by Rebecca Howardhttp://www.tulsalibrary.org/blog/embracing-eccentricities-rebecca-howard
<div class="field field-name-field-news-image field-type-image field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><img typeof="foaf:Image" src="http://www.tulsalibrary.org/sites/default/files/styles/medium/public/images/blogs/chulsey/Rebecca%20Howard%20Headshot_0.JPG?itok=ZbPgWWxr" width="176" height="220" alt="" /></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" property="content:encoded"> <p>Generally speaking, I love strange people. Let me clarify. I love the quirky, offbeat, and freakishly brilliant. These are people who might obsess over a certain historical figure or know everything imaginable about farming practices during the Neolithic period. They might read 5 books a week on whatever topic has captured their keen attention and then move onto their next area of study. If they were teenagers in the late 1980s, they made hundreds of mix tapes full of songs by unknown bands. While perhaps a bit socially awkward, these kinds of people are both infinitely gifted and gifts to our world, so I’m pleased when the offbeat get to play protagonists in novels, especially in love stories. </p>
<p>I recently read and loved <a href="http://tccl.bibliocommons.com/search?t=smart&amp;search_category=keyword&amp;q=rosie+project+graeme+simsion&amp;commit=Search&amp;searchOpt=catalogue" title=" The Rosie Project">The Rosie Project </a>by Graeme Simsion; I’m sure several of you have read this already or are on the waiting list for it. It’s generating quite a bit of positive buzz from readers and was ranked as the number one forthcoming title which librarians across the country loved in the October issue of <a href="http://libraryreads.org/" title="Link to LibraryReads">LibraryRead</a>s. The novel’s protagonist, Don Tillman, is a brilliant geneticist, but a little unlucky in love. Actually, he’s a little unlucky in most social interactions, so he devises what he calls “The Wife Project” to help him find a mate. Because he believes that everything can be quantified, Don concocts a six-page questionnaire designed to eliminate unsuitable partners and allow him to focus on women who meet his fairly strict perimeters. </p>
<p>In a twist that is typical of romantic comedies, he meets Rosie—someone who is entirely wrong for him but may help him relax his routine and break some of his self-imposed rules. The predictability of the plot isn’t a liability in this case but a comfort—reminding us that making an authentic connection with another person is among the most amazing, crazy, frustrating, and beautiful experiences we can have. </p>
<p>I was reminded of a few other titles while reading <a href="http://tccl.bibliocommons.com/search?t=smart&amp;search_category=keyword&amp;q=rosie+project+graeme+simsion&amp;commit=Search&amp;searchOpt=catalogue" title=" The Rosie Project">The Rosie Project</a>. These are quirky, unconventional romantic comedies that have a similar feel to them (annotations from Syndetic Solutions): </p>
<p><a href="http://tccl.bibliocommons.com/search?t=smart&amp;search_category=keyword&amp;q=pursuit+of+alice+thrift&amp;commit=Search&amp;searchOpt=catalogue" title=" The Pursuit of Alice Thrift">The Pursuit of Alice Thrift </a>by Elinor Lipman<br />
Meet poor Alice Thrift, surgical intern in a Boston hospital, high of I.Q. but low in social graces. She doesn't mean to be acerbic, clinical, or painfully precise, but where was she the day they taught Bedside Manner 101? Into Alice's workaholic and romantically challenged life comes Ray Russo, a purveyor of fairground fudge, in need of rhinoplasty and well-heeled companionship, not necessarily in that order. Is he a con man or a sincere suitor? Good guy or bad? His well-engineered cruise into carnal waters introduces Alice to a new and baffling concept, chemistry--and not of the organic kind. Is it possible for a woman of science to cure her own loneliness in the unsuitable arms of a parental nightmare?</p>
<p><a href="http://tccl.bibliocommons.com/search?t=smart&amp;search_category=keyword&amp;q=attachments+rainbow+rowell&amp;commit=Search&amp;searchOpt=catalogue" title=" Attachments">Attachments </a>by Rainbow Rowell<br />
Beth and Jennifer know their company monitors their office e-mail, but they still spend all day sending each other messages, gossiping about their coworkers at the newspaper and baring their personal lives like an open book. When Lincoln applied to be an Internet security officer, he hardly imagined he'd be sifting through other people's inboxes like some sort of electronic Peeping Tom. Lincoln is supposed to turn people in for misusing company e-mail, but he can't bring himself to crack down on Beth and Jennifer. He can't help but be entertained and captivated by their stories. But by the time Lincoln realizes he's falling for Beth, it's way too late for him to ever introduce himself. After a series of close encounters and missed connections, Lincoln decides it's time to muster the courage to follow his heart, even if he can't see exactly where it's leading him.</p>
<p><a href="http://tccl.bibliocommons.com/search?t=smart&amp;search_category=keyword&amp;q=silver+linings+playbook+matthew+quick&amp;commit=Search&amp;searchOpt=catalogue" title=" Silver Linings Playbook">Silver Linings Playbook </a>by Matthew Quick<br />
During the years he spends in a neural health facility, Pat Peoples formulates a theory about silver linings: he believes his life is a movie produced by God, his mission is to become physically fit and emotionally supportive, and his happy ending will be the return of his estranged wife, Nikki. When Pat goes to live with his parents, everything seems changed: no one will talk to him about Nikki; his old friends are saddled with families; the Philadelphia Eagles keep losing, making his father moody; and his new therapist seems to be recommending adultery as a form of therapy. </p>
<p> </p>
</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-tags field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-inline clearfix"><div class="field-label">Tags:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/tags/graeme-simsion" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Graeme Simsion</a></div><div class="field-item odd"><a href="/tags/elinor-lipman" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Elinor Lipman</a></div><div class="field-item even"><a href="/tags/rainbow-rowell" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Rainbow Rowell</a></div><div class="field-item odd"><a href="/tags/matthew-quick" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Matthew Quick</a></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-blog-category field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/blog/reading-addict" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Reading Addict</a></div></div></div>Mon, 30 Dec 2013 19:56:48 +0000Cindy8050 at http://www.tulsalibrary.orghttp://www.tulsalibrary.org/blog/embracing-eccentricities-rebecca-howard#commentsChristmas in July, New Year's in August by Laura Raphaelhttp://www.tulsalibrary.org/blog/christmas-july-new-years-august-laura-raphael
<div class="field field-name-field-news-image field-type-image field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><img typeof="foaf:Image" src="http://www.tulsalibrary.org/sites/default/files/styles/medium/public/blogfiles/Laura%20Raphael%20Headshot_9.JPG?itok=5Dy0VmKq" width="176" height="220" alt="" /></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" property="content:encoded"> <p>Every late December or early January, I peruse my reading list from the year just ending or ended and pick my favorites. Here at the library, we even share our lists. It’s always one of the reading-related highlights of my year: both considering and choosing what stayed with me the most, and discovering what my colleagues considered and chose.</p>
<p>It’s not the end of the year yet (not even close), but if we can have Christmas in July, why not New Year’s in August?</p>
<p>With that in mind, here’s my list of favorite fiction reads for 2013 – so far:</p>
<p><a href="http://tccl.bibliocommons.com/search?t=title&amp;q=round+house" title=" The Round House">The Round House </a>by Louise Erdrich<br />
This is a bit of a no-brainer, because Erdrich won the 2012 National Book Award in Fiction for this richly told yet suspenseful tale of a horrible crime on an Indian reservation – and the attempt of a family to get justice for that crime.</p>
<p><a href="http://tccl.bibliocommons.com/item/show/2802857063_love_is_a_canoe" title=" Love Is a Canoe">Love Is a Canoe </a>by Ben Schrank<br />
This little gem belongs in the “Bad cover, good novel” category – I almost didn’t read it because the cover image was just not appealing. Fortunately, enough glowing reviews convinced me to at least start it, and the first chapter compelled me to keep reading this intimate look at love and relationships. A good companion to <a href="http://tccl.bibliocommons.com/item/show/1849938063_the_position" title=" The Position">The Position </a>by Meg Wolitzer, which has a similar setting and themes.</p>
<p><a href="http://tccl.bibliocommons.com/search?t=smart&amp;search_category=title&amp;searchOpt=catalogue&amp;q=the supremes at earl's all-you-can-eat" title=" The Supremes at Earl's All You Can Eat">The Supremes at Earl’s All-You-Can-Eat </a>by Edward Kelsey Moore<br />
If I could pick the next novel that deserves the same amount of fame, fortune, and fans as <a href="http://tccl.bibliocommons.com/search?t=smart&amp;search_category=keyword&amp;q=help+stockett&amp;commit=Search&amp;searchOpt=catalogue" title=" The Help">The Help</a>, this would be it. This story, about four African-American girls in the 1960s and then as middle-aged women in the mid-2000s, touches the same feel-good yet bittersweet, funny yet serious tones as Kathryn Stockett’s breakout hit. I listened to this on CD in my car, and I’m too embarrassed to reveal how many times I found myself crying and laughing on the way to and back from work. (Okay, it was about 3,000 times.)</p>
<p><a href="http://tccl.bibliocommons.com/search?t=title&amp;search_category=title&amp;q=burgess+boys&amp;commit=Search&amp;searchOpt=catalogue" title=" The Burgess Boys">The Burgess Boys </a>by Elizabeth Strout<br />
Strout just gets better and better with each novel, and I found myself swimming through this one in sheer delight at her deft use of language and insight into how real people talk and act. A childhood tragedy and its long-term effects is at the center of the plot, and its exploration of family relationships reminded me of Carol Anshaw’s superb <a href="http://tccl.bibliocommons.com/search?t=smart&amp;search_category=keyword&amp;q=carry+the+one+anshaw&amp;commit=Search&amp;searchOpt=catalogue" title=" Carry the One">Carry the One </a>as well as Richard Russo’s <a href="http://tccl.bibliocommons.com/search?t=title&amp;search_category=title&amp;q=empire+falls&amp;commit=Search&amp;searchOpt=catalogue" title=" Empire Falls">Empire Falls</a>.</p>
<p><a href="http://tccl.bibliocommons.com/search?t=smart&amp;search_category=keyword&amp;q=eleanor+and+park+rowell&amp;commit=Search&amp;searchOpt=catalogue">Eleanor &amp; Park </a>by Rainbow Rowell<br />
Rowell came to the Tulsa City-County Library last year as part of a “Summer of Love” literature program to talk about her delightful first novel, <a href="http://tccl.bibliocommons.com/search?t=smart&amp;search_category=keyword&amp;q=attachments+rowell&amp;commit=Search&amp;searchOpt=catalogue" title=" Attachments">Attachments</a>. This is her follow-up, a YA novel that manages to be deeper and more soulful than her adult one. If you’re a John Green reader, Rainbow Rowell should be your next reading choice. (This is according to none other than John Green himself, who named Eleanor &amp; Park one of his favorite novels of the year, too.)</p>
</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-tags field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-inline clearfix"><div class="field-label">Tags:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/tags/louise-erdrich" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Louise Erdrich</a></div><div class="field-item odd"><a href="/tags/ben-schrank" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Ben Schrank</a></div><div class="field-item even"><a href="/tags/meg-wolitzer" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Meg Wolitzer</a></div><div class="field-item odd"><a href="/tags/edward-kelsey-moore" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Edward Kelsey Moore</a></div><div class="field-item even"><a href="/tags/kathryn-stockett" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Kathryn Stockett</a></div><div class="field-item odd"><a href="/tags/elizabeth-strout" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Elizabeth Strout</a></div><div class="field-item even"><a href="/tags/richard-russo" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Richard Russo</a></div><div class="field-item odd"><a href="/tags/rainbow-rowell" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Rainbow Rowell</a></div><div class="field-item even"><a href="/tags/john-green" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">John Green</a></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-blog-category field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/blog/reading-addict" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Reading Addict</a></div></div></div>Tue, 20 Aug 2013 14:35:12 +0000Cindy7291 at http://www.tulsalibrary.orghttp://www.tulsalibrary.org/blog/christmas-july-new-years-august-laura-raphael#commentsDiscovery by Rebecca Howardhttp://www.tulsalibrary.org/blog/discovery-rebecca-howard
<div class="field field-name-field-news-image field-type-image field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><img typeof="foaf:Image" src="http://www.tulsalibrary.org/sites/default/files/styles/medium/public/blogfiles/Rebecca%20Howard%20Headshot_6.JPG?itok=hvs2Xgjk" width="176" height="220" alt="" /></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" property="content:encoded"> <p>I discovered the last couple of books I’ve read quite by accident. More accurately, I discovered them the way that I once did—before I read so many books reviews and had such a long list of items on request from the library. I browsed. Browsing for fiction can be a daunting task, and I fully understand how people can be thoroughly overwhelmed at the prospect of finding something they will enjoy. Books are arranged by author, after all, not their characteristics. Readers’ Advisory guru Nancy Pearl has even suggested a pie chart method labeling books, so that potential readers could see the major appeal factors associated with each book. For example, <a href="http://tccl.bibliocommons.com/search?t=title&amp;q=One+Hundred+years+of+solitude" title=" One Hundred Years of Solitude">One Hundred Years of Solitude </a>by Gabriel Garcia Marquez would be a book for people who love and appreciate poetic, lush language. Its pie chart might be 70% language, 20% setting, and 10% character. <a href="http://tccl.bibliocommons.com/search?t=title&amp;search_category=title&amp;q=corrections&amp;commit=Search&amp;searchOpt=catalogue" title=" The Corrections">The Corrections </a>by Jonathan Franzen would be for those who want to immerse themselves in the inner worlds of conflicted and complex characters. </p>
<p>Without the pie charts, I rely a lot on book covers. The old adage that you can’t judge a book by its cover is completely wrong. You actually can and do judge books by their covers constantly—for better or worse. This past summer, I had the opportunity to meet author Rainbow Rowell, author of the lovely romantic comedy <a href="http://tccl.bibliocommons.com/search?t=title&amp;search_category=title&amp;q=attachments&amp;commit=Search&amp;searchOpt=catalogue" title=" Attachments">Attachments</a>. It was fascinating to me to hear about the process of selecting cover art for particular books. It was very important to Rowell that the cover art not be a photograph of a woman. In particular, she wanted to avoid photographs of parts of women—half faces, legs, hair. It’s strange, but once we had this conversation I saw the covers to which she was referring EVERYWHERE, particularly on books marketed to young women. Rowell fought to keep her cover photograph free, and she probably gained a broader audience in doing so. </p>
<p>
Other clues to the content of a book are the blurbs on the front and/or back covers. I understand that blurbs are all part of the marketing of a book and are painstakingly chosen and negotiated. While these brief sentences are not the sole reason I select a book, they often seal the deal. As an assignment in a young adult literature course, I had to read a graphic novel. I’d never read a graphic novel before, but when I saw that <a href="http://tccl.bibliocommons.com/search?t=title&amp;search_category=title&amp;q=persepolis&amp;commit=Search&amp;searchOpt=catalogue" title=" Persepolis">Persepolis </a>by Marjane Satrapi had blurbs by Sandra Cisneros and Gloria Steinem, I understood that I had found the graphic novel for me. (<a href="http://tccl.bibliocommons.com/search?t=title&amp;search_category=title&amp;q=persepolis&amp;commit=Search&amp;searchOpt=catalogue" title=" Persepolis">Persepolis </a>actually became one of my all-time favorite books that I suggest to almost everyone.) Blurbs by Jonathan Franzen appeared on two books I’ve read in the past few months, too—The <a href="http://tccl.bibliocommons.com/search?t=title&amp;search_category=title&amp;q=middlesteins&amp;commit=Search&amp;searchOpt=catalogue" title=" Middlesteins">Middlesteins </a>by Jami Attenberg and <a href="http://tccl.bibliocommons.com/search?t=title&amp;search_category=title&amp;q=where%27d+you+go+bernadette&amp;commit=Search&amp;searchOpt=catalogue" title=" Where'd You Go Bernadette">Where’d You Go Bernadette</a> by Maria Semple—both quirky, darkly humorous, melancholy, and character-driven novels that were perfect matches for me. <br />
</p>
<p>How did you find the last book you read? If you’re ever at a loss for what to read or simply want to discover some new authors and titles, try our personalized readers’ advisory service <a href="http://www.tulsalibrary.org/your-next-great-read" title="Link to Your Next Great Read web page">Your Next Great Read</a>. Fill out a survey about your reading tastes and preferences, and in 7-10 business days, the Readers’ Library staff will send you a reading guide with suggested authors and titles you might enjoy. In the meantime, enjoy those blissful discoveries. </p>
<p> </p>
</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-tags field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-inline clearfix"><div class="field-label">Tags:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/tags/gabriel-garcia-marquez" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Gabriel Garcia Marquez</a></div><div class="field-item odd"><a href="/tags/jonathan-franzen" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Jonathan Franzen</a></div><div class="field-item even"><a href="/tags/rainbow-rowell" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Rainbow Rowell</a></div><div class="field-item odd"><a href="/tags/marjane-satrapi" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Marjane Satrapi</a></div><div class="field-item even"><a href="/tags/jami-attenberg" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Jami Attenberg</a></div><div class="field-item odd"><a href="/tags/maria-semple" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Maria Semple</a></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-blog-category field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/blog/reading-addict" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Reading Addict</a></div></div></div>Wed, 27 Feb 2013 14:19:15 +0000Cindy1636 at http://www.tulsalibrary.orghttp://www.tulsalibrary.org/blog/discovery-rebecca-howard#commentsFeast on This by Laura Raphaelhttp://www.tulsalibrary.org/blog/feast-laura-raphael
<div class="field field-name-field-news-image field-type-image field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><img typeof="foaf:Image" src="http://www.tulsalibrary.org/sites/default/files/styles/medium/public/blogfiles/Laura%20Raphael%20Headshot.JPG?itok=OvfeVEWA" width="176" height="220" alt="Photo of Laura Raphael" /></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" property="content:encoded"> <p>Some books are light confections, amuse-bouches that please in the moment but as soon as they are closed, disappear from the mind as quickly as cotton candy on the tongue. These lovelies absolutely have a place in my personal reading diet, and they are far harder to write than they seem.</p>
<p>But the majority of what I like to read (especially now, as the weather turns cooler and an afternoon under the afghan reading sounds like the best thing in the world) is what I term “BIG FEAST” books – novels that are so deep, layered, and complex that they demand to be read again. There is so much there there to these books that I know I’m only getting 20% or, if I’m lucky, 30%, of the meaning and beauty the first time ‘round. These are the books that require – nay, demand – second and third and even fourth readings to give them their due.</p>
<p>Among my favorite feast-y books is Toni Morrison’s <a href="http://tccl.bibliocommons.com/item/show/1389570063_paradise" title=" Paradise">Paradise</a>, which begins with one of the most shocking sentences in all of recent literature (“They shoot the white girl first.”) and manages, in 318 pages, to make the kind of grand exploration of love, life, and loss you usually find in books three times as long. (Morrison gets extra points from me for setting her novel in Oklahoma.) <a href="http://tccl.bibliocommons.com/item/show/1389570063_paradise" title=" Paradise">Paradise </a>also has the distinct honor of being my favorite book discussion book: I still recall with great fondness the evening, more than 12 years ago, that my group started to piece together what it all meant – which made me begin re-reading it right away the very next morning.</p>
<p>I’m still not over Nathan Englander’s devastating <a href="http://tccl.bibliocommons.com/search?t=smart&amp;search_category=keyword&amp;q=ministry+of+special+cases&amp;commit=Search&amp;searchOpt=catalogue">The Ministry of Special Cases</a>. Set during a time and place I know very little about – the Jewish community of Argentina in the mid-1970s during “The Dirty War” – this novel nevertheless still figures into my thoughts occasionally. Reading (and re-reading) it feels like a graduate education (in the best way) in literature.</p>
<p>Finally, if you happened to see the movie “<a href="http://tccl.bibliocommons.com/search?t=smart&amp;search_category=keyword&amp;q=blindness&amp;commit=Search&amp;searchOpt=catalogue" title=" Blindess">Blindness</a>” a few years ago and were disappointed, I’d like to direct you to the far superior novel Blindness by Jose Saramago. Saramago has perfected the trick of writing a literary page-turner, a tour de force of unified character, story, and theme that still has my brain buzzing.</p>
<p>There is a place for my <a href="http://tccl.bibliocommons.com/search?t=keyword&amp;q=elinor lipman" title=" Elinor Lipman">Elinor Lipmans </a>and my <a href="http://tccl.bibliocommons.com/search?t=smart&amp;search_category=keyword&amp;q=rainbow+rowell&amp;commit=Search&amp;searchOpt=catalogue" title=" Rainbow Rowell">Rainbow Rowells </a>– the best writers of shimmering, lovely, funny works – but I will always return to books that are dark, and deep, and deserve to be feasted on again and again.</p>
</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-tags field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-inline clearfix"><div class="field-label">Tags:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/tags/toni-morrison" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Toni Morrison</a></div><div class="field-item odd"><a href="/tags/nathan-englander" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Nathan Englander</a></div><div class="field-item even"><a href="/tags/jose-saramago" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Jose Saramago</a></div><div class="field-item odd"><a href="/tags/linor-limpan" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Linor Limpan</a></div><div class="field-item even"><a href="/tags/rainbow-rowell" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Rainbow Rowell</a></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-blog-category field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/blog/reading-addict" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Reading Addict</a></div></div></div>Fri, 07 Dec 2012 22:11:23 +0000Cindy1507 at http://www.tulsalibrary.orghttp://www.tulsalibrary.org/blog/feast-laura-raphael#commentsAttachments, Re@l Love, and Me by Laura Raphaelhttp://www.tulsalibrary.org/blog/attachments-rel-love-and-me-laura-raphael
<div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" property="content:encoded"> <p><img alt="" class="flleft" src="/sites/default/files/images/blogs/thumb_Laura%20Raphael%20Oh%20Dewey.JPG" />I fell in love with my future husband through email in the year 2000. If I were a Jane Austen heroine, it would have been missives written with a quill by candlelight by Mr. Raphael and Miss Clapp, but in our case, it was the then-fairly-new phenomenon of an online dating site, the odd screen-names of “poewhit” and “bookchick”, and the far-less romantic electronic bits and bytes, zeroes and ones.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>No matter. As one of my favorite writers, the weird genius George Saunders, said in an interview, “The basis for literature is the fact that all of our brains are essentially, structurally, identical. First love in 1830, in Russia, beneath swaying pines, is neurologically identical to first love in 1975, back of a Camaro, Foghat blaring.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>In other words, despite my lack of bonnet and carriage, quill pens and candlelight: Elizabeth Bennet, c’est moi.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Nevertheless: the year 2000, computers and email addresses, love. I’m sure this is one reason I was predisposed to enjoy Rainbow Rowell’s lovely novel, <a href="http://opac.tulsalibrary.org/record=b2576434~S27"><em>Attachments</em></a>, which is set in 1999 and 2000 and prominently features email as an instrument of falling-in-love, though not exactly in the way I’d experienced or a reader would expect. (The male romantic lead does fall in love with the female romantic lead through email… but by reading her emails to others, as part of his job as IT administrator.)</p>
<p> </p>
<p>But details like that are just window-dressing, and had <a href="http://opac.tulsalibrary.org/record=b2576434~S27"><em>Attachments</em></a> been nothing more, it would have dropped into the Forgettable Book black hole.</p>
<p>
Fortunately, <a href="http://opac.tulsalibrary.org/record=b2576434~S27"><em>Attachments</em></a> landed on the Delightful Book special shelf instead, and while it definitely has crowd-pleasing elements of quirky humor and an unusual love story, it’s so much more than that. Unlike other potato-chip books – you know, enjoyable in the moment but not exactly nutritious – it’s a fresh look at the “attachments” of family and friendship as well as romantic love. The narrative voice is engaging and unique, and frankly, I laughed out loud reading it that I scared the cat out of the room more times than I can count.</p>
</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-tags field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-inline clearfix"><div class="field-label">Tags:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/tags/attachments" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Attachments</a></div><div class="field-item odd"><a href="/tags/rainbow-rowell" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Rainbow Rowell</a></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-blog-category field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/blog/reading-addict" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Reading Addict</a></div></div></div>Thu, 07 Jun 2012 15:40:53 +0000Cindy433 at http://www.tulsalibrary.orghttp://www.tulsalibrary.org/blog/attachments-rel-love-and-me-laura-raphael#comments